Hikind Says: Do the Right Thing and Remove Fort Hamilton Parkway Islands

In a letter to NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Sadik-Kahn, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) contests the accident statistics used to make the argument for pedestrian islands on Fort Hamilton Parkway.

The NYC Department of Transportation has maintained since the installation of these islands that they were solely placed there to protect seniors. “The most recent statistics from the NYS Department of Transportation clearly refute the argument that these islands were conceived to protect seniors,” said Hikind. “Any argument to the contrary is absurd.”

The latest data from 2001-2010 reveals that in fact the location of the present pedestrian islands on 45th, 46th and 47th Streets and Fort Hamilton Parkway, has only had four pedestrian accidents resulting in one fatality. Whereas, other locations such as 49th Street through 51st Street for the same time period has seen 10 accidents resulting in two fatalities. Even more egregious, there were 12 accidents on Fort Hamilton Parkway from 60th Street through 63rd Street.

“Why was my office able to get these statistics and the NYC Department of Transportation not able to?” asked Assemblyman Hikind.

“Any logical person looking at the same statistics would come to the same conclusion. These islands are not necessary in the current location.”

In addition, Assemblyman Hikind also highlights in his letter to Commissioner Sadik-Kahn that the NYC DOT is not meeting its own regulations when it comes to road design. In the 2009 NYC DOT Street Design Manual, the department indicates that future street modification should, in addition to improving pedestrian safety, “accommodate emergency vehicle access” and “accommodate truck traffic and deliveries.”

“This street modification clearly does not accommodate the many emergency vehicles traveling to and from Maimonides Medical Center,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “These islands have only hindered their response time and added to the congestion of an already busy commercial location. I am appealing to Commissioner Sadik-Kahn to look at the irrefutable statistics and do the right thing for the community and remove these pedestrian islands.”